By Obiabin Onukwugha
Amnesty International has described the situation in many Niger Delta communities as a human rights emergency, warning that climate change is worsening decades of environmental degradation and injustice in the region.
Amnesty International Executive Director, Isa Sanusi, stated this at the opening of the 4th Niger Delta Annual Climate Change Conference, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Monday
Sanusi said a recent visit to Bille community in Rivers State left him shocked by the living conditions of residents. “We were in Bille some days ago and what I saw there is shocking. It is shocking and catastrophic. There is no way you can go to Bille and come back the same person,” he said, and called for urgent action to address the ongoing gas leak that started several months ago in the community
Sanusi emphasised that no one should be subjected to such conditions simply because others want to extract natural resources, stating that many communities in the Niger Delta are already struggling with polluted water, degraded farmlands and contaminated air.
“In many communities of the Niger Delta, people wake up to water they cannot drink, land they can no longer farm, and air that still carries the smell of oil. These are not isolated incidents. They are lived realities,” he said.
Sanusi noted that climate change in the Niger Delta cannot be separated from the region’s long history of environmental damage. He said flooding now moves through already polluted soils and contaminated rivers, making communities even more vulnerable.
“We are here to discuss climate change. But in the Niger Delta, climate change does not arrive in isolation. It lands on damaged ground, and it affects people whose rights have already been undermined,” he said.
The Amnesty International Nigeria executive director insisted that environmental harm in the Niger Delta should be viewed as a human rights issue, emphasising, “Environmental harm in this region is a human rights issue. It is, in fact, a human rights emergency.”
Sanusi highlighted Amnesty International’s years of advocacy in the Niger Delta, including its campaigns on oil pollution, environmental accountability and justice for affected communities. He recalled that the organisation had repeatedly documented how oil spills destroyed livelihoods, polluted water sources and weakened communities’ ability to cope with climate-related disasters.
“A polluted environment cannot withstand flooding. A degraded ecosystem cannot recover from shocks. A community denied justice cannot build resilience. This is climate injustice,” he said.
He called on the Nigerian government to strengthen environmental governance and enforce existing laws, while urging oil companies, especially those leaving the region, to fulfil their obligations.
“Clean-up, restoration and compensation must come first. Responsibility cannot be transferred,” he said.
Sanusi also urged the international community to ensure that the global energy transition does not leave behind polluted lands and vulnerable communities in the Niger Delta region.
He stressed that the people of the Niger Delta are demanding justice rather than charity. “They are not asking for charity. They are asking for justice. Justice for the past. Justice today. And protection for the future. They want clean land. Safe water. A healthy environment. And a future not defined by pollution. These are not requests. They are rights,” he stated
He pledged that Amnesty International would continue to stand with affected communities and push for environmental justice in the region. “And Amnesty International will continue to stand with them – not only to document injustice, but to challenge it, confront it, and help bring it to an end. Firmly. Consistently. Without compromise,” Sanusi stated.
